Ruby Alabase

“On the evening of February 13th, 2023, we said goodbye to our first baby girl – Ruby Alabase. Ruby was in kidney failure, a consequence of Lyme disease that she lived with, asymptomatically since 2019. Ruby started rapidly losing weight in January 2023 and we knew something was wrong, but we had no idea how dire her health was. We learned about Ruby’s kidney failure on February 7th, 2023, and she rapidly declined in the coming days.

Ruby lived a full life, yet it was absolutely cut short. She was born on 6/19/2017, only 5 years old when she was laid to rest. Her dog mom, Jordan, and dog dad, Omar, got Ruby together shortly after getting engaged in August 2017. From there, Ruby helped them with wedding planning and moved into their first apartment together that fall. In the spring, Ruby watched both her mom & dad graduate from college. This Spring of 2018 Ruby also first ventured to the family cabin, a happy place for Ruby for the rest of her life. She was always living her best life at the cabin, meeting neighbor dogs and running the block with her cousins Rosie and Rilee. She enjoyed swims in the lake, often trying to chase after mom and dad on the jetski. She also chased after squirrels and took down a gopher after stalking it all morning in the woodpile. on the dock or in the home, Ruby was obsessed with sunbathing and found her spot in the sun wherever she was. Ruby welcomed her 2 little brothers into the world and was unsure about her role as big sister. When it came to the boys, she loved them on her time and on her terms – not theirs, because as we know, little boys can be wild. Towards the end of her life, the oldest of the little bros learned a life skill of empathy and took sweet care of her. Ruby was an emotional support dog to her mom, and it would have been immensely more difficult to enter into motherhood without Ruby, or to begin and just about complete grad school without the love Ruby gave her. It was an unconditional type of love that people are lucky to experience. Ruby and her mom had a deep bond that will never be forgotten.

Ruby was a princess, and she knew it too. Her Grandpa said he’d never ride in the car with a dog on his lap, however Ruby was the exception. She was fierce and confident, and a sassy yet loving girl. Often she acted more like a cat, licking her paws and walking on the top of the couch. Her tail always up in a curl. Especially in her younger days, she loved a game of fetch and had endless energy, and tug-o-war was a favorite too. She was small, but mighty and determined to win.

Ruby’s absence will leave a hole in the framework of her family. We were not ready to say goodbye so soon. Her dog mom is so sorry there wasn’t more that could be done to save her, but the memories we have will warm my heart forever. There is not another dog like Ruby and she will be so very missed here earth side. We can only imagine Ruby is now finding her place on the other side – sunbathing, chasing rabbits and squirrels, getting belly rubs and living her best life in comfort and peace.”